The Ultimate Nonprofit Video Marketing Strategy + 5 of the Best Nonprofit Videos We've Seen

I know many nonprofits who are sceptical of video marketing. <br />“Making videos is too expensive,” Jen, a communications coordinator at a small nonprofit, told me. “And they take too much time to prepare.” <br />However, video marketing can be a huge asset for your nonprofit. <br />When I pointed out that with the right video marketing strategy, 57% of people...

I know many nonprofits who are sceptical of video marketing.

“Making videos is too expensive,” Jen, a communications coordinator at a small nonprofit, told me. “And they take too much time to prepare.”

The next time I saw her, she told me excitedly that her video campaign had been a huge success.

She had filmed a video and sent it to her email subscribers for her latest campaign, raising money for a larger building for her organization’s soup kitchen. She showcased volunteers’ hard work and shot footage of how her work helped the community, and in the end, she raised $500 more than her target.

Because of the power that Jen and other marketing coordinators have seen with nonprofit video, I wanted to create a guide that could help everyone reading it to succeed.

So, in this post, I’ve done the legwork to highlight a few common misconceptions around using video, and dive deeper into what video marketing can look like for your nonprofit.

At the end, I’ve listed out five nonprofit videos that I think are particularly effective — and exactly how you can see the same kind of success.

4 Common Misconceptions About Nonprofit Video

Just like Jen, you might be wondering if making videos is right for your organization — or maybe other members of your nonprofit aren’t convinced yet.

If so, I’ve put together a list of four common objections, and how you can easily overcome them.

1. It’s Too Expensive

Many nonprofits think they need high-quality (read: expensive) equipment to make a video, but that’s no longer the case. Almost everyone has a mobile phone these days… meaning that almost anyone can make a video.

You can effectively tell your nonprofit’s story without all these aforementioned bells and whistles. A simple video testimonial, needing only someone to tell their story and a camera, is often enough to make your point — so don’t worry about being flashy.

2. No One Wants to Watch It

Although you might be worried that your hard work in creating a video will go to waste, your audience is probably more interested in checking out a quick video than they are in other content.

In fact, the average user spends 88% more time on a website with video options — showing that your audience will stick around and look at more of your content if you have videos at the ready.

3. It Takes Too Long To Make

The idea of scripting, practicing, and then finally filming a video might seem daunting.

But it doesn’t need to be that complicated.

In fact, at Wild Apricot, we make a lot of videos ourselves. This one about social media fails took my coworker a day to make, from scripting to editing — not bad when you consider it now has over 10,000 views on Facebook.

This timespan can even be shortened for Live videos, which also happen to be some of the most-watched on Facebook.

To get started with nonprofit video, all you need is your smartphone and some willing participants (or a cool event of which you can take a quick recording).

4. We’ll Use it Once, and Never Again

Although some organizations might be worried that spending time creating video isn’t worth it if it’s only going to be used for one particular campaign, that’s actually not the case.

If you create a great video, it’s easy to share it over and over on social media, as well as through your email list and blog posts.

The reverse can also be true. For example, if you had a blog post that performed particularly well, you can transform it into a video to reach a different audience. You could also turn some of the FAQs you receive about your nonprofit into videos rather than a text post.

Videos on social media are also getting more and more popular, generating 1200% more shares than text and images combined. Plus, platforms like YouTube or Vimeo have built-in communities, meaning that you can reach out to a variety of potential donors who might not have heard of your mission before as well as hosting them on your website.

How to Create a Video Marketing Strategy For Your Nonprofit

Now that you’ve convinced everyone in your organization that video marketing is right for you, it’s time to start developing a video strategy.

To get you started, I’ve listed the four main steps that you can follow when creating your video marketing strategy below.